Hiii, random suggestion: I think a video on freezer meals would be amazing! You could do a deep dive on the science of why some things freeze well and others don’t, and different steps you can take to make sure that meals freeze better. I have loved all your meal prep-style videos so far and think this would be super helpful. Love your videos!
I agree and will one-up your idea... Let's see some individual serving freezer meals that are pre-sealed in a vacuum sealer and can be taken straight from the freezer and dropped in a sous vide water bath... and ready to eat when you get home from work. Sort of how a crock pot is supposed to work, except you just take one out of the freezer, drop it in the water, and then go to work.
Yes please! In my experience potatoes have way worse texture after freezing, so would like some tips on what potato type and meal works best for freezing.
Imamu Room is one of my favorite creators! She definitely deserves the shout out. Not only is her channel the best comfort watch, but I've also gotten several dinner ideas from her bentos! Highly highly recommend her channel to everyone
I love Imamu Room, the biggest inspiration I've gotten from her channel is that things that feel long & complicated maybe aren't & could make a perfectly reasonable weeknight meal. Oh, and everything is better with kewpie mayo 😁
I loooooove her channel. Her humor is underrated. She cracks me up. I am so happy for them and their new shop too. Great food. I have taken ideas from foods she has made.
To me as an ADHDer with a cooking hobby, this is something I've been doing for a while. The interactivity and novelty of combinations really is the best way to make me eat my "boring" prepared food instead of splurging on something way less healthy and cost-effective. Also, works really well as sort of a charcuterie board thing at home. Got something fresh, a protein, some crunch, something pickled, 1-2 sauces and a way to wrap it up or dip away. Really nice suggestions for themed boxes there!
I love this, I feel similarly but like....... how do you remember to clean your bento box thing with your adhd 😅😭 I feel like I never remember to clean it and I just get stressed abt it when I find it two days later all moldy 🙃
I recently found out I have ADHD and have issues with impulsively buying outside food. I recently thought about doing what you're doing and your comment has confirmed that it would be worth my time
@@anemonemilyyy hahaha same, I try really hard to put it in my lunchbox bag, and to make sure to put that on the passenger seat with my purse every day. Therefore, my hope is to remember it with my purse, the latter of which is solidly a habit. Or put your cell phone or something important on top of it to make it more of a habit to bring inside. :)
Yessss, thank you for the imamu room shout out! I literally love her and her videos so much. She seems like the nicest person and when NOTHING is helping against my insomnia, her videos still helps calm and quiet my mind. Can't recommend her channel enough ✨
Growing up in Korea lots of kids brought these types of lunch boxes to school, and having ones that could keep your food warm until lunch time was a godsend. Glass meal prep containers wish they were anywhere close to those bento packs.
Sorry but you are comparing apples and oranges (two different use cases) there. Glass containers aren't leaving the house, who would want to risk shatter them?
Loving this! Bento Boxes are very similar to the Dabbawala culture in Mumbai where Dabbawalas (Box-carriers/men) bring food made at home by a spouse or mother to working professionals all over the city. The boxes are usually metal and stacked in three layers and usually follow a bread-protein-veggie system or just bread and veggies for those who are vegetarian. It's amazing how different cultures come up with concepts that seem to similar to each other, independent of each other.
I love your videos because you don't just show us recipes, you actually go through a logical thought process (which is how it SHOULD be); Changing the way we think about how to approach meal prep is FAR SUPERIOR to just showing a 20 minute video with 4 "look what I made" recipes. Keep doing what you're doing man, I'm a fan.
This is so lovely and inspiring. My husband and I both work from home and I've been craving ways to add little sparks to make our situations a bit more interesting day to day. This sounds like just the ticket.
I love bento and have been making them for many years. I love your easy slaw recipe. Got to try that one soon. FYI, many bento boxes are not microwavable. If that's a feature that you want, then make sure it's listed it on the packaging or item description. Don't assume it'll be fine. Also, a lot of them are hand wash only, so if you want one that's dishwasher safe make sure it is listed as such. One feature that wasn't mentioned that is a huge deal to me is a spill-proof or leak-proof container. Like the previous features I mentioned, don't assume that it'll be fine if it tips over. The best containers with this feature will be hand-wash only because the lid will contain a gasket. Just be aware.
@@Anderson.BillySilva and really, all the label "microwave safe" means, is that it won't melt from being microwaved. This doesn't mean that it keeps the food from plastics leeching into it.
I tried bento boxes for about a month. They're expensive, hard to clean and a bit small overall. I ended up buying a pile of 'meal-prep' containers from wal-mart when they were on sale so now my lunches are made of stuff that is supposed to be hot. I also have deli containers which work better for soups.
It's not for everyone. Remember that bento started in a country where the traditional dynamic of men working while women stay at home is still prevalent. Bento is made by a stay at home partner for the person who works outside of the home. Taking time to make an elaborate lunchbox in the morning when you have to get out of the door for work is just not feasible for a lot of us. I just make a sandwich, and pop some berries into a plastic box.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 easy to make with leftovers after dinner, grab and go in the morning. Something this complicated in the morning, if you're not a morning person, would be really hard
@@jetah50 I am often busy on weekends, so I don't get a lot of time for large scale meal prep. I do prepare my sandwich fillings, fruit snacks, etc the night before, and assemble in the morning. It is just not an elaborate bento style prep.
this was a great video, and i appreciated that different cultures were taken into account! just an fyi, the middle eastern spices are called "Zah-tar" (treated like two words) not "Zat-ar". and traditionally theyre used exclusively on bread, so using it for chicken is novel. the food you made looks great, just offering insight as an arab!
The Bento box is awesome, but if you want to eat a hot meal, or you like wetter styles of food such as chili, curries, mac & cheese, or casserole leftovers, you have to go with an Indian Tiffin Carrier. The concept is similar, separate compartments for the separate parts, but a Tiffin is usually metal, (Stainless Steel) carries three to seven separate components, and keeps your food warm for hours. Packing a tiffin for someone is an act of love.
I love making bentos. I usually do a hand roll style one but since salmon can be quite expensive I use canned kippers or sardines in spicy tomato sauce. Super tasty, very inexpensive but still filling enough to keep me going until I get home and can have a heavier meal. I keep my meals light when at work and have the heavier ones at home because I get so sleepy.
I'v been watching both Paolo fromTOKYO and Imamu room for quite some time now! Definitely wasn't expecting one, and definitely not both of them being mentioned in another of my favorite TH-camr's video. I'm glad they are being appreciated. Thank you for always giving us the most high quality videos!
I just saw this and it is now one of my favorite videos. Here in Montreal, I love taking my chilled bento box to the park with my guitar to practice, my tablet to read and a huge ice water bottle. I'll also sometimes bring a soccer ball to kick around with people. Great content! 🙂
Ethan, you make some of the most enjoyable food content on TH-cam! As someone who watches way too many cooking videos across a dozen channels, it’s always inspiring to see what you’re having fun with. I’ve struggled to make time for lunch at work for many years. Thanks for the encouragement to try something new!
Thank you for these ideas for lunch. I’m retired but living super close to Disney World and being a pass holder I have daily access to the parks. We decided to start bringing our food to the parks bc everything is ridiculously expensive. Thank you again for this video ❤
Was making something very similar for my Dad for quite a while now and I'm so happy to learn it has its own name. My dad isn't a big fan of fish and plain rice rice, so I usually pack him something more European like a couple slices of cold cut meat, funky cheese, fresh bread and soft scramble eggs in the sauce container, and in the large reheat container a whole ready meal like chicken fried pork chop cut into slices with mashed potatoes and gravy, or a "make it yourself" taco set with shredded bbq pork and beans or chili con carne with cilantro rice in reheat container with a couple home made tortillas, pico de gallo, a couple lime wedges and some very mild salsa. Beats gas station packed sandwiches or roadside cafeterias or the kind of sandwiches dad was making himself in a hurry before leaving for work.
Can concur! At Chipotle, I actually order the kids meal tacos. They come in a little box with compartments just like a bento. And there is just something so enjoyable about building my own taco… same concept as the bento! Love this vid :D
I just accepted a new job this year that will require me to go into the office 3 days a week. I'm really not looking forward to it because I enjoy making food at home for lunch. I think this is going to help me get through the in office days!
I’m eating the Asian one now and I had the Mexican one for lunch. They’re amazing! Whenever I can’t figure out what to cook, you always have great timing and recently put up a video. Thanks!
the fact that your table was so low was really cool. framed almost perfectly by the counters drawing your eye to the center. for some reason being the shot feels sort of homely.
I’m going to be honest, I’ve been kind of doing this without even realizing. I like to make a lot of small components to certain dishes, such as “tacos” or a homemade chipotle Bowl essentially, and i bring all the leftovers in separate little containers and then assemble and eat…. The bento box makes it a lot easier and it’s the same concept. Super cool
It’s amazing how you always seem to nail video concepts I’m interested in. You are doing an amazing job of bridging the gap between healthy/prepared and delicious/visually appealing. Gods work my friend!
Great video Ethan! I was just thinking about pulling out my bento box again. I’m definitely going to take inspiration from you and create some yummy combinations.
THis is a really brilliant concept. I am appreciative that Ethan is covering this. It is really helpful to get ideas from him, because it makes my standard of living better at a lower cost.
While the salmon looks delicious, I beg people to remember to be considerate of coworkers and try to avoid reheating fish in the microwave at work or just any communal space. That said, using sous-vide, you can cook your salmon at 110F for 45 minutes to get a fantastic soft and buttery fish that is absolutely delicious chilled. I highly recommend doing a 1:1 ratio salt/sugar dry brine for 10 minutes and then rinsing in cold water prior to seasoning (i recommend simply salt, pepper, and fresh thyme) and the bagging in a ziplock with a glob of olive oil to both add a bit of flavour and also act as a lubricant to prevent the extremely delicate fish from falling apart as you pull it out the bag. ^that recipe also works great for a hot suppertime meal if you do it at 120F for 45min but doing it with skin on, and then very quickly searing it on the skin side in a ripping hot non-stick pan after sous vide, that way you get some delightfully just starting to flake fish that has that amazing crunchy salmon skin on the bottom. I dont think it would reheat well though, nor would it be as good chilled
Great ideas. At my work I will send up to 20 minutes waiting for the microwave so I have a mini crock pot I got to heat up my proteins. I do like the idea of the bento for my other components because right now I am using a lot of small plastic containers.
Hey! Absolutely loving the videos recently. Unfortunately, I was just diagnosed with Crohn's Disease...would ever consider doing a video on some reciepes for those with IBD or related issues? Finding it very difficult to find a tasty diet that is easy on the stomach!
My favorite bento is to make seasoned rice balls (ongiri), freeze them and put them frozen in the box. By lunchtime the rice has thawed and is ready to eat. The seasoning keeps it fresher (rice wine vinegar and sugar and salt all have preservative properties). I swap fill this out with any protein (air fryer wings are a favorite and can be made ahead) and quite often pieces of lettuce that I use to make wraps. The traditional bento doesn't need to be reheated, but with a modern office most of the time you have the microwave which can open up a whole bunch of options.
I appreciate you doing this so much, Ethan. I've been watching a lot of yours and other cooking videos as I get serious about my diet for fat loss and thinking through portion control and meal prepping. Bento boxes come to mind frequently. You answered the question in my head without me having a way to ask you. Thank you :)
Been here since before 150k subscribers. So glad to see Ethan hit 1.5m and the content is still as good as ever. Keep being interesting and innovative!
love this practical oriented style of video, this is why I subscribe to your channel. guides to cooking I can implement in my life. not as big a fan of the theory stuff.
I really enjoyed this video I'm trying to be healthier during lunches but sometimes get analysis paralysis. Anyway been a big fan for a while now. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos Ethan!
Great ideas. I always made it a point to physically leave my place of work at lunch. It was just a way to decompress, eat and chill. Afternoon always went better.
Glad to hear the reference to Paolo, Ethan! And thanks for the other links in your sources. Do yo still have plans to go to Japan? My wife and I are going in May for a couple of weeks.
弁当好きなら、1つは木の弁当箱、特に曲げ物は持っておきたいですね。 アルミや琺瑯も良いですが、やはり弁当は木製です。レンジは使えないけどね。 If you ever come to Japan, get one (or more than that) magemono bento box. You'd really love it. 香りも手触りも最高やで！
yes! I've been interested in getting into bentos this spring/summer as i've started biking more and am curious in convenient and exciting foods to pack for longer bike rides / picnic days
Could you do a video on what's the best type of frying pan to use for cooking? (e.g. carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum w/ non-stick, etc.)
Your intros are worth not skipping them. Although I was tempted to pause the video, in order to look up what the heck a Bento Box is. Only for you to savagely deliver it right after. The amount of time and energy that go into your videos is really noticable and you have stepped up your game massively in the last two years. Thank you!
The shoutout to imamuroom is nice. She really has such a wholesome and great channel. I’m not really sure, but she might be a reason that bento video’s started doing really well on youtube.
Great video! I love this kind of interactive lunch with all the different textures and colours - the Mexican inspired one really speaks to me! Yum! 😋 they are all great ideas though. I will have to return to the office a few days a week in future so will definitely keep these in mind.
Yet more great content and inspiration for our weekly shopping list! Thanks Ethan for improving our meal prep game tenfold and actually creating great healthy food which tastes good👌💪
Just wow. Great video! Really liked the inspiration and the study on Play in adult life you provided. Never saw this concept for Bentoboxes before. Very helpful and inspirational video, thank you!💯🙏🏻
I’ve been doing a small bento box. I use a small glass container in it for things I want to heat up either for feeling or food safety. Actually, as part of my dieting, I’ve been making micro bento style lunches. Its a cup and a half glass container I stick about half full of rice(Mexican rice this week) a large chunk of chicken(just finished karaage I made) and some kinda of salad(I like thin cabbage peppers and onion) to top it off to keep the lid clean.
I purchased some of those presses you used on the salmon but you didn't have a purchase link in the description. Either way thanks for showing them I really needed a good press and these will work amazing!
My criteria for a bento box food: 1- packed in five minutes just while making my coffee (could do some preping beforehand) 2- stays edible for 5 to 10 hours 3- is good to eat cold 4- withstands violent shaking without trying to escape the box 5- doesn't smell very strong (no raw alliums etc) 6- is a balanced meal with focus on protein and fiber 7- cures depression
Shout out to Go Green lunchboxes in Australia. Sturdy, easy to clean, lots of Bento designs, they also sell the cooler covers, drink bottles and drink bottles. So many colors. Cool for kids, and working adults.
with the latest weather in atx and our history of losing power so often you should make a video on what to prep/eat if a storms coming your way and you don’t have power
Props for powering through the no-power-fiasco in Austin and making this excellent video! It never occurred to me to make a bento box with anything other than traditional Japanese cuisine. Thanks for opening my eyes.
Thanks for these! I've loved using Bento boxes for lunch but I think the larger Mombento boxes that I have are much too roomy for me, and this reminds me that I would love to get more smaller Bento boxes for myself. My hubby can use my pink one too 😸 Great ideas for what to fill them with!
Hey Ethan! One of the things that restricts my meal prep is concern over meal prepping foods that will spoil over the course of the week: dairy-based, seafood, salads, etc. Are these types of meals meant to be 2-part prep where you make the "reheatables" as a batch over the weekend and assemble the "fresh" stuff the day of?
Hey Ethan. When you display the overall ingredients used for your bento boxes, is that of an app you’re showing? I would love to know what it is if so. Cheers! :)
Hiii, random suggestion: I think a video on freezer meals would be amazing! You could do a deep dive on the science of why some things freeze well and others don’t, and different steps you can take to make sure that meals freeze better. I have loved all your meal prep-style videos so far and think this would be super helpful. Love your videos!
this is such a great idea. freezer meals is a super underrated way of doing meal prep!
I agree and will one-up your idea... Let's see some individual serving freezer meals that are pre-sealed in a vacuum sealer and can be taken straight from the freezer and dropped in a sous vide water bath... and ready to eat when you get home from work. Sort of how a crock pot is supposed to work, except you just take one out of the freezer, drop it in the water, and then go to work.
Yes please! In my experience potatoes have way worse texture after freezing, so would like some tips on what potato type and meal works best for freezing.
Ayyyy he got you
Love this idea. Hopefully something similar had been post on his channel recently!
Imamu Room is one of my favorite creators! She definitely deserves the shout out. Not only is her channel the best comfort watch, but I've also gotten several dinner ideas from her bentos! Highly highly recommend her channel to everyone
Came here to say just that! Love Imamu Room!
same! i get a lot of my meal ideas from her too!!
Same!! So glad to see her channel get a shoutout!
I love Imamu Room, the biggest inspiration I've gotten from her channel is that things that feel long & complicated maybe aren't & could make a perfectly reasonable weeknight meal. Oh, and everything is better with kewpie mayo 😁
I loooooove her channel. Her humor is underrated. She cracks me up. I am so happy for them and their new shop too. Great food. I have taken ideas from foods she has made.
Ethan making a complicated bento box just to eat it in his kitchen standing up
Convenience at its finest.
Great to take with you...or just store in the fridge until you are ready to devour ✊
Better than me eating my bento boxes crying in the supply closet at work
@@ColAlbSmi 😂😂
@@ColAlbSmi god bless you brother may you get a bigger secret supply closet with a comfy seat and table 😊
To me as an ADHDer with a cooking hobby, this is something I've been doing for a while. The interactivity and novelty of combinations really is the best way to make me eat my "boring" prepared food instead of splurging on something way less healthy and cost-effective. Also, works really well as sort of a charcuterie board thing at home. Got something fresh, a protein, some crunch, something pickled, 1-2 sauces and a way to wrap it up or dip away. Really nice suggestions for themed boxes there!
I love this, I feel similarly but like....... how do you remember to clean your bento box thing with your adhd 😅😭 I feel like I never remember to clean it and I just get stressed abt it when I find it two days later all moldy 🙃
Ty for writing this - university student struggling to pack lunches
@@anemonemilyyy just put it in the dishwasher or leave it to soak in the sink so when you do need to clean, its very easy
I recently found out I have ADHD and have issues with impulsively buying outside food. I recently thought about doing what you're doing and your comment has confirmed that it would be worth my time
@@anemonemilyyy hahaha same, I try really hard to put it in my lunchbox bag, and to make sure to put that on the passenger seat with my purse every day. Therefore, my hope is to remember it with my purse, the latter of which is solidly a habit. Or put your cell phone or something important on top of it to make it more of a habit to bring inside. :)
Yessss, thank you for the imamu room shout out! I literally love her and her videos so much. She seems like the nicest person and when NOTHING is helping against my insomnia, her videos still helps calm and quiet my mind. Can't recommend her channel enough ✨
Growing up in Korea lots of kids brought these types of lunch boxes to school, and having ones that could keep your food warm until lunch time was a godsend. Glass meal prep containers wish they were anywhere close to those bento packs.
Meal prep seems lifeless in front of Asian bento or tiffin 🙈
Sorry but you are comparing apples and oranges (two different use cases) there. Glass containers aren't leaving the house, who would want to risk shatter them?
@@Hybridsixtynine I usually take a glass container to school when I need to microwave my food, so does my mom when she goes to the office haha
@@Hybridsixtynine the heat retaining thermal boxes tended to be expensive. Not everyone could afford them, unfortunately.
@@Hybridsixtynine do you mean for kids or in general? a bunch of people including myself bring their meal in glass containers here
Loving this! Bento Boxes are very similar to the Dabbawala culture in Mumbai where Dabbawalas (Box-carriers/men) bring food made at home by a spouse or mother to working professionals all over the city. The boxes are usually metal and stacked in three layers and usually follow a bread-protein-veggie system or just bread and veggies for those who are vegetarian. It's amazing how different cultures come up with concepts that seem to similar to each other, independent of each other.
I love your videos because you don't just show us recipes, you actually go through a logical thought process (which is how it SHOULD be); Changing the way we think about how to approach meal prep is FAR SUPERIOR to just showing a 20 minute video with 4 "look what I made" recipes. Keep doing what you're doing man, I'm a fan.
Thats so kind
This is so lovely and inspiring. My husband and I both work from home and I've been craving ways to add little sparks to make our situations a bit more interesting day to day. This sounds like just the ticket.
Love the call out to Imamu Room and her Husbentos ^_^ watching her channel actually really helped me out when I was struggling with some food issues.
Loved the shoutout to Imamu Room! Her channel has been my source of comfort videos for years
I love bento and have been making them for many years. I love your easy slaw recipe. Got to try that one soon.
FYI, many bento boxes are not microwavable. If that's a feature that you want, then make sure it's listed it on the packaging or item description. Don't assume it'll be fine. Also, a lot of them are hand wash only, so if you want one that's dishwasher safe make sure it is listed as such. One feature that wasn't mentioned that is a huge deal to me is a spill-proof or leak-proof container. Like the previous features I mentioned, don't assume that it'll be fine if it tips over. The best containers with this feature will be hand-wash only because the lid will contain a gasket. Just be aware.
exactly! I don't trust microwaving plastic. even the ones labeled as "safe" still feels bad
@@Anderson.BillySilva and really, all the label "microwave safe" means, is that it won't melt from being microwaved. This doesn't mean that it keeps the food from plastics leeching into it.
I tried bento boxes for about a month. They're expensive, hard to clean and a bit small overall. I ended up buying a pile of 'meal-prep' containers from wal-mart when they were on sale so now my lunches are made of stuff that is supposed to be hot. I also have deli containers which work better for soups.
It's not for everyone. Remember that bento started in a country where the traditional dynamic of men working while women stay at home is still prevalent. Bento is made by a stay at home partner for the person who works outside of the home. Taking time to make an elaborate lunchbox in the morning when you have to get out of the door for work is just not feasible for a lot of us. I just make a sandwich, and pop some berries into a plastic box.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 yes. This.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 you're saying the bento can't be made the night before? or prepped on the weekend?
@@gemmeldrakes2758 easy to make with leftovers after dinner, grab and go in the morning. Something this complicated in the morning, if you're not a morning person, would be really hard
@@jetah50 I am often busy on weekends, so I don't get a lot of time for large scale meal prep. I do prepare my sandwich fillings, fruit snacks, etc the night before, and assemble in the morning. It is just not an elaborate bento style prep.
this was a great video, and i appreciated that different cultures were taken into account! just an fyi, the middle eastern spices are called "Zah-tar" (treated like two words) not "Zat-ar". and traditionally theyre used exclusively on bread, so using it for chicken is novel. the food you made looks great, just offering insight as an arab!
Thanks for the info!
It's always nice when the food police show up on scene.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 i prefer to be thought of as the culture cop
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 also i said using it on chicken was novel (meaning new). it's not a bad thing
I didn’t actually know that. In America most (white) people just treat it as one word. Interesting :)
For those who don’t want to buy a new a bento box, I do this but with deli containers stacked on top of each other.
IMO your solution is way better, all around.
The Bento box is awesome, but if you want to eat a hot meal, or you like wetter styles of food such as chili, curries, mac & cheese, or casserole leftovers, you have to go with an Indian Tiffin Carrier. The concept is similar, separate compartments for the separate parts, but a Tiffin is usually metal, (Stainless Steel) carries three to seven separate components, and keeps your food warm for hours. Packing a tiffin for someone is an act of love.
I love making bentos. I usually do a hand roll style one but since salmon can be quite expensive I use canned kippers or sardines in spicy tomato sauce. Super tasty, very inexpensive but still filling enough to keep me going until I get home and can have a heavier meal. I keep my meals light when at work and have the heavier ones at home because I get so sleepy.
I'v been watching both Paolo fromTOKYO and Imamu room for quite some time now! Definitely wasn't expecting one, and definitely not both of them being mentioned in another of my favorite TH-camr's video. I'm glad they are being appreciated. Thank you for always giving us the most high quality videos!
What an interesting concept!Would have never considered 'playing' with my lunch in a way to make it more fun to have lunch. Love the channel man
It’s a little more work, but a lot more fun which is well worth it in my opinion!
Onigiri (rice balls) are also fun to make. You can make a bento box with a few different fillings to use for onigiri.
Bento boxes just have that vibe to it especially if someone else makes it for you its like a warm hug after a tiring few hours at work.
I just saw this and it is now one of my favorite videos. Here in Montreal, I love taking my chilled bento box to the park with my guitar to practice, my tablet to read and a huge ice water bottle. I'll also sometimes bring a soccer ball to kick around with people. Great content! 🙂
Ethan, you make some of the most enjoyable food content on TH-cam! As someone who watches way too many cooking videos across a dozen channels, it’s always inspiring to see what you’re having fun with.
I’ve struggled to make time for lunch at work for many years. Thanks for the encouragement to try something new!
Thank you for these ideas for lunch. I’m retired but living super close to Disney World and being a pass holder I have daily access to the parks. We decided to start bringing our food to the parks bc everything is ridiculously expensive. Thank you again for this video ❤
Was making something very similar for my Dad for quite a while now and I'm so happy to learn it has its own name.
My dad isn't a big fan of fish and plain rice rice, so I usually pack him something more European like a couple slices of cold cut meat, funky cheese, fresh bread and soft scramble eggs in the sauce container, and in the large reheat container a whole ready meal like chicken fried pork chop cut into slices with mashed potatoes and gravy, or a "make it yourself" taco set with shredded bbq pork and beans or chili con carne with cilantro rice in reheat container with a couple home made tortillas, pico de gallo, a couple lime wedges and some very mild salsa.
Beats gas station packed sandwiches or roadside cafeterias or the kind of sandwiches dad was making himself in a hurry before leaving for work.
Can concur! At Chipotle, I actually order the kids meal tacos. They come in a little box with compartments just like a bento. And there is just something so enjoyable about building my own taco… same concept as the bento! Love this vid :D
I hope they give you your drink in a sippy cup, too. LOL
I just accepted a new job this year that will require me to go into the office 3 days a week. I'm really not looking forward to it because I enjoy making food at home for lunch. I think this is going to help me get through the in office days!
This is a brilliant video. Love how you tied it in with the sponsor, and combined novelty with taste and healthiness, amazing!
I’m eating the Asian one now and I had the Mexican one for lunch. They’re amazing! Whenever I can’t figure out what to cook, you always have great timing and recently put up a video. Thanks!
the fact that your table was so low was really cool. framed almost perfectly by the counters drawing your eye to the center. for some reason being the shot feels sort of homely.
I’m going to be honest, I’ve been kind of doing this without even realizing. I like to make a lot of small components to certain dishes, such as “tacos” or a homemade chipotle Bowl essentially, and i bring all the leftovers in separate little containers and then assemble and eat…. The bento box makes it a lot easier and it’s the same concept. Super cool
It’s amazing how you always seem to nail video concepts I’m interested in. You are doing an amazing job of bridging the gap between healthy/prepared and delicious/visually appealing. Gods work my friend!
Glad you found something that makes you happy and brings you joy!
Great video Ethan! I was just thinking about pulling out my bento box again. I’m definitely going to take inspiration from you and create some yummy combinations.
THis is a really brilliant concept. I am appreciative that Ethan is covering this. It is really helpful to get ideas from him, because it makes my standard of living better at a lower cost.
While the salmon looks delicious, I beg people to remember to be considerate of coworkers and try to avoid reheating fish in the microwave at work or just any communal space.
That said, using sous-vide, you can cook your salmon at 110F for 45 minutes to get a fantastic soft and buttery fish that is absolutely delicious chilled. I highly recommend doing a 1:1 ratio salt/sugar dry brine for 10 minutes and then rinsing in cold water prior to seasoning (i recommend simply salt, pepper, and fresh thyme) and the bagging in a ziplock with a glob of olive oil to both add a bit of flavour and also act as a lubricant to prevent the extremely delicate fish from falling apart as you pull it out the bag.
^that recipe also works great for a hot suppertime meal if you do it at 120F for 45min but doing it with skin on, and then very quickly searing it on the skin side in a ripping hot non-stick pan after sous vide, that way you get some delightfully just starting to flake fish that has that amazing crunchy salmon skin on the bottom. I dont think it would reheat well though, nor would it be as good chilled
Came here to say the same thing. Don't reheat fish at work.
@@BriceStacey Is it due to the smell ?
@@alexandervlaescu9901 Yes, unfortunately reheated fish is pungent in enclosed breakrooms.
Great ideas. At my work I will send up to 20 minutes waiting for the microwave so I have a mini crock pot I got to heat up my proteins. I do like the idea of the bento for my other components because right now I am using a lot of small plastic containers.
Hey! Absolutely loving the videos recently.
Unfortunately, I was just diagnosed with Crohn's Disease...would ever consider doing a video on some reciepes for those with IBD or related issues? Finding it very difficult to find a tasty diet that is easy on the stomach!
My favorite bento is to make seasoned rice balls (ongiri), freeze them and put them frozen in the box. By lunchtime the rice has thawed and is ready to eat. The seasoning keeps it fresher (rice wine vinegar and sugar and salt all have preservative properties). I swap fill this out with any protein (air fryer wings are a favorite and can be made ahead) and quite often pieces of lettuce that I use to make wraps. The traditional bento doesn't need to be reheated, but with a modern office most of the time you have the microwave which can open up a whole bunch of options.
Imamu Room is the most cozy channel to watch😍 i love her.
Great Inspiration for bentos
Pleasantly surprised by the shoutout to imamu room, her channel is the ultimate form of relaxation for me!
I appreciate you doing this so much, Ethan. I've been watching a lot of yours and other cooking videos as I get serious about my diet for fat loss and thinking through portion control and meal prepping. Bento boxes come to mind frequently. You answered the question in my head without me having a way to ask you. Thank you :)
Been here since before 150k subscribers. So glad to see Ethan hit 1.5m and the content is still as good as ever. Keep being interesting and innovative!
Imamu Room is amazing! I’ve loved her channel for also giving me tons of ideas for dishes even if I’m not making a bento.
When I eat food I really love having a whole bunch of things to try like tapas or sharing plates, so this is a perfect thing for me.
love this practical oriented style of video, this is why I subscribe to your channel. guides to cooking I can implement in my life. not as big a fan of the theory stuff.
I really enjoyed this video I'm trying to be healthier during lunches but sometimes get analysis paralysis. Anyway been a big fan for a while now. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos Ethan!
Mezze platter as lunch is something I'd never thought of, but will definitely try!
OK Ethan, I love everything you did here. I like to assemble as well, these are great ideas. Keep up the good work.
Great ideas. I always made it a point to physically leave my place of work at lunch. It was just a way to decompress, eat and chill. Afternoon always went better.
Great video and fun idea. Quality of video and graphics is your best here.
I AM SO HAPPY YOU MENTIONED IMAMU!!!! I absolutely love seeing a new husbento!!! She’s the best!!❤❤❤
I eagerly anticipate every Imamuroom video!!❣️ And I also love Paulo!!
Stunning video again Ethan, long time lurker here. Absolutely enjoying the content right now.
Glad to hear the reference to Paolo, Ethan! And thanks for the other links in your sources. Do yo still have plans to go to Japan? My wife and I are going in May for a couple of weeks.
弁当好きなら、1つは木の弁当箱、特に曲げ物は持っておきたいですね。
アルミや琺瑯も良いですが、やはり弁当は木製です。レンジは使えないけどね。
If you ever come to Japan, get one (or more than that) magemono bento box.
You'd really love it. 香りも手触りも最高やで！
Summer is my favorite time to get creative with my 3 compartment bento since I work outside and want to eat cool, refreshing things.
yes! I've been interested in getting into bentos this spring/summer as i've started biking more and am curious in convenient and exciting foods to pack for longer bike rides / picnic days
Food should be fun!!! Thanks for acknowledging this.
Could you do a video on what's the best type of frying pan to use for cooking? (e.g. carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum w/ non-stick, etc.)
that's it, I'm getting a bento box! sometimes i would watch husbento videos to relax and now this has convinced me
Your intros are worth not skipping them. Although I was tempted to pause the video, in order to look up what the heck a Bento Box is. Only for you to savagely deliver it right after.
The amount of time and energy that go into your videos is really noticable and you have stepped up your game massively in the last two years. Thank you!
I love the concept as well, it makes for a much more enjoyable experience.
Totally love the concept of Bento boxes ! Thank you for inspiration !
yes , switched to a bento box style about a year ago for my husband and he loves it:)
The shoutout to imamuroom is nice. She really has such a wholesome and great channel. I’m not really sure, but she might be a reason that bento video’s started doing really well on youtube.
Love the ideas for lunches to pack for the office! Keep them coming!
I like this! I eat in my work truck and heat up my food on my dash as I drive. Always a struggle to stay healthy but your recipes have helped!
Great video! I love this kind of interactive lunch with all the different textures and colours - the Mexican inspired one really speaks to me! Yum! 😋 they are all great ideas though. I will have to return to the office a few days a week in future so will definitely keep these in mind.
Absoluitely love these kinds of videos!
Yet more great content and inspiration for our weekly shopping list! Thanks Ethan for improving our meal prep game tenfold and actually creating great healthy food which tastes good👌💪
Just wow. Great video! Really liked the inspiration and the study on Play in adult life you provided. Never saw this concept for Bentoboxes before. Very helpful and inspirational video, thank you!💯🙏🏻
This is such a great idea! I’ve been looking for something like this! Thank you!
Ethan you are fantastic! Really enjoy your videos
Golden episode
I love that you had to differentiate that it was kewpie mayo. :) There's a huge difference
I’ve been doing a small bento box. I use a small glass container in it for things I want to heat up either for feeling or food safety. Actually, as part of my dieting, I’ve been making micro bento style lunches. Its a cup and a half glass container I stick about half full of rice(Mexican rice this week) a large chunk of chicken(just finished karaage I made) and some kinda of salad(I like thin cabbage peppers and onion) to top it off to keep the lid clean.
I purchased some of those presses you used on the salmon but you didn't have a purchase link in the description. Either way thanks for showing them I really needed a good press and these will work amazing!
My criteria for a bento box food:
1- packed in five minutes just while making my coffee (could do some preping beforehand)
2- stays edible for 5 to 10 hours
3- is good to eat cold
4- withstands violent shaking without trying to escape the box
5- doesn't smell very strong (no raw alliums etc)
6- is a balanced meal with focus on protein and fiber
7- cures depression
yess thank you soo much i asked for this so many timess
omg the imamu room shoutout!!!!!!!!!
Shout out to Go Green lunchboxes in Australia. Sturdy, easy to clean, lots of Bento designs, they also sell the cooler covers, drink bottles and drink bottles. So many colors. Cool for kids, and working adults.
with the latest weather in atx and our history of losing power so often you should make a video on what to prep/eat if a storms coming your way and you don’t have power
Props for powering through the no-power-fiasco in Austin and making this excellent video! It never occurred to me to make a bento box with anything other than traditional Japanese cuisine. Thanks for opening my eyes.
you are so creative awesome idea loved it
This was great introduction on how to put together a healthy bento lunch. I loved this tutorial.
Imamu! I love her! Thanks for this video inspiration!
Awesome video! Would love to see more bento box ideas, I never have inspiration of what to pack for lunch.
Feeling that Austin power outage 😥 Hope you were able to stay warm! Thanks for the video.
Haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but god damn you're a good videographer
He has grown A LOT since his first videos.
you seasoned Lettuce, this is officially the best cooking channel on TH-cam
Thanks for these! I've loved using Bento boxes for lunch but I think the larger Mombento boxes that I have are much too roomy for me, and this reminds me that I would love to get more smaller Bento boxes for myself. My hubby can use my pink one too 😸
Great ideas for what to fill them with!
Hey Ethan! One of the things that restricts my meal prep is concern over meal prepping foods that will spoil over the course of the week: dairy-based, seafood, salads, etc. Are these types of meals meant to be 2-part prep where you make the "reheatables" as a batch over the weekend and assemble the "fresh" stuff the day of?
Always looking for more bento box ideas. Thank you
woooo love seeing imamu room getting a shout out. love her channel!
I love Imamu Room.... she does the best cooking!
Hey Ethan. When you display the overall ingredients used for your bento boxes, is that of an app you’re showing? I would love to know what it is if so. Cheers! :)
Can you do more bento box meal videos? This video inspired me to purchase 4 of the plastic ones for work! One for every day except Friday.
**weekday**
BentoCo has some awesome bentos. Had mine for a couple years and use them everyday for work
I wasn’t allowed lunchables as a kid and looking back I’d like to say, thanks mom!